Top 5 entry-level Cyber Security Jobs in 2025

Top 5 Cybersecurity Roles to Launch Your Career in 2025

The cybersecurity job market is constantly evolving, and as we look ahead to 2025, it's clear that there are still promising opportunities for those looking to break into the industry—even at the entry level. In the latest episode of Techtual Chatter, HD breaks down the top five entry-level cybersecurity roles to target, the skills employers are seeking, expected salaries, and insight on what makes these positions both critical and accessible.

Below, you’ll find highlights from the episode, plus actionable advice to help you map out your path into cybersecurity.

Defining “Entry Level” in Cybersecurity

First off, “entry-level” can be a bit of a moving target. According to HD, it usually means anywhere from 0 to 2 years of experience, sometimes stretching to 3 or even 5 years in certain security fields. Prior IT experience is always a plus, but it’s not a strict requirement—transferable skills and a willingness to learn can land you a spot, depending on the role and company.

The Top 5 Sectors Hiring Cyber Talent

Per data from Motion Recruitment (and confirmed by HD’s active LinkedIn inbox!), these sectors are particularly hungry for cybersecurity newcomers:

• Tech

• Finance

• Healthcare

• Energy & Utilities

• Retail & E-commerce

Now, let’s delve into the five standout roles you should have on your radar.

1. Tier 1 SOC Analyst

Salary: ~$68,000/year

What You Do: You’ll be on the frontlines in a Security Operations Center, triaging alerts, updating tickets, escalating incidents, and digging into security logs with tools like Splunk, QRadar, or Microsoft Sentinel.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity, IT, or related field (sometimes can be substituted with equivalent work).

• Certifications like Security+, CySA+, or GIAC are common requests. HD highly recommends the practical Blue Team Level 1 cert.

• Strong communication and willingness for shift work (nights/weekends included).

Day-to-Day: Expect plenty of log analysis, incident response, and working with a threat intel team to detect and escalate possible breaches.

2. Security Analyst

Salary: ~$100,000/year

What You Do: This title is broad—at some companies, you’ll focus on risk assessments, vulnerability management, or compliance, while others may have you deep into analyzing security data and trends.

Qualifications:

• 1+ year in information security/cyber, OR 3+ years in IT with relevant experience.

• Familiarity with network fundamentals.

• Recommended certifications: CCNA, Security+, CySA+.

Day-to-Day: Analyzing security alerts, managing vulnerabilities, implementing policies—often with overlap into risk, compliance, and even some technical tools.

3. GRC (Governance, Risk, Compliance) Analyst

Salary: ~$80,000/year

What You Do: GRC analysts ensure their organizations meet regulatory requirements, manage risks, and follow governance protocols. If you’re coming from a non-technical background but know industry regulations (HIPAA, NIST, PCI-DSS), this could be your way in.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree (or relevant experience).

• 1+ year in IT, security compliance, or auditing is often required.

• Skills in risk assessment, audits, vendor assessments, and policy creation.

Day-to-Day: Auditing, risk management, policy documentation, and lots of cross-team collaboration.

4. Junior / Associate Security Engineer

Salary: ~$80,000/year

What You Do: Security engineers work to solve problems, integrate security tools, automate tasks, and support incident response. This is the spot for you if you’ve done some hands-on administration or scripting in IT.

Qualifications:

• 2+ years with endpoints, cloud, or sysadmin work is common.

• Microsoft/Azure security skills are a big plus.

• Be ready to show stories of problem-solving from past roles or projects.

Day-to-Day: Deploying Microsoft security services, working with cloud tools, scripting, and responding to issues.

5. Vulnerability Management Analyst

Salary: $80,000–$105,000/year (even higher for some contract roles)

What You Do: Highly valuable but low-profile, vulnerability analysts scan the environment, prioritize vulnerabilities, and coordinate responses to threats and zero-days.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree plus 2 years’ cyber or app development experience—or more experience to offset education.

• Knowledge of OWASP Top 10, compliance frameworks, and some coding is preferred.

Day-to-Day: Running scans, tracking vulnerabilities, writing policies, and validating remediation. Lots of communication between teams is essential.

Final Takeaways

Don’t get discouraged by “degree preferred” or lengthy requirement lists. If you can tie your previous experience, projects, or self-study to the role’s responsibilities, you might land that crucial first interview. HD’s final advice? Focus on skills, not just certs, and be bold about showcasing your transferable talents, even from non-traditional backgrounds.

Ready to dive in deeper? This episode of Techtual Chatter is packed with even more practical tips and personal anecdotes to inspire, inform, and empower your cybersecurity journey in 2025.

Watch episode here

What other roles would you like to hear broken down? Drop your comments and join the conversation!